18 July 2014

On a trip to Mangalore, the chef at the hotel where we stayed recommended the Mangalore-special Neer dosa for breakfast. I admit we had never heard of that preparation before and were more than willing to give it a try.
'Neer' means water, and adds as an adjective to this dish due to the thin water-like batter that is used.
When it arrived, it looked quite humble, much like a well-washed and crisp folded white kerchief. Delicate to the touch, it tasted like a million bucks with the distinctly flavoured Udupi sambar.
Though the original recipe only calls for raw rice and grated coconut, we discovered that adding some cooked rice improves the texture of the batter. Sorry Purists, but this works for us :) !!!

1. Wash and soak raw rice for about 30 minutes. Drain but do not discard the water.

2. Blend the drained rice first in a mixer. Now add the cooked rice, coconut and salt and a little water to blend well to a fine paste.

3. Transfer to a bowl and let rest for minimum 6 to 8 hours. So if you intend to have this for breakfast, prepare and rest the batter overnight.

4. Before use, check for salt and dilute the batter with the drained rice water to get a dripping consistency. Always best to add water gradually and it's good practice to prepare a mini tester dosa to check the texture and binding.

5. Heat a pan on medium heat, drop a ladle of batter and spread it as thin as possible. Since the batter is based purely on rice, it cooks fast and you can turn it over once bubbles start forming. No need to make it crisp like the normal dosas. We need the white colour as well as softness retained.